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Photography Exhibit by Tri-C Professor Tells the Powerful Story Behind ‘Violins of Hope’

Photography Exhibit by Tri-C Professor Tells the Powerful Story Behind ‘Violins of Hope’

Images are on view at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland

BEACHWOOD — An exhibit of photographs by Daniel Levin, an associate professor at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®), documents an Israeli man’s lifelong mission to preserve violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust.

The exhibition — titled “Amnon’s Workshop” — features 75 large-scale prints and is on display through Nov. 8 at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, located at 25701 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

The photographs detail the work of master violin maker Amnon Weinstein, the man behind the “Violins of Hope” project. Weinstein lovingly restores and gives new voice to stringed instruments that survived the horrors of the Holocaust, even when their owners perished.

Levin traveled to Israel earlier this year to capture the intimate images of Weinstein and his work, which conveys a story of endurance and resilience through the power of music.

Open houses to view the free exhibit will be held 1-4 p.m. Oct. 11 and Nov. 8 in the Roe Green Gallery of the federation’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building. Viewing appointments and group tours also can be scheduled on other days. For information, email israelarts@jcfcleve.org or call 216-593-2856.

“Amnon’s Workshop” is just one exhibit in Violins of Hope Cleveland, a landmark project among seven premier non-profit organizations in Cleveland that will bring instruments restored by Weinstein to Northeast Ohio. (For a complete list of events, go to www.violinsofhopecle.org.)

Levin’s photographs offer an insider’s perspective to Weinstein’s eclectic workshop and his forensic-like approach to the restoration process. In essence, it provides the backstory for other Violins of Hope Cleveland programming and events.

This exhibition of Levin’s work is presented by the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection, a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. It received support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

Levin, of Cleveland Heights, is an associate professor of photography in Tri-C’s Visual Communication and Design program. He has taught at the College since 2002.

As an artist, Levin’s work often questions truth while exploring the post-modern tenet of the existence of multiple truths. He has curated and contributed to many documentary photo exhibits.

Aside from his teaching and art practice, Levin accepts commissions to make environmental portraits — an endeavor that has taken him to 40 states and overseas — and has photographed world leaders and luminaries.